A collection of alumni interviews

Category: Uncategorized

After leaving Trinity, I received a Fulbright grant to teach English in Malaysia. Over the course of ten months, I taught classroom lessons to students ages 13-18 with almost 100 other English teachers. Living in South East Asia was an incredible experience, and one that helped me to enhance my perspective about global affairs.

When I returned the United States, I also started applying for graduate school. At the time, I was interested in global master’s programs and law school. Following in intensive application process, I was waitlisted for a full scholarship to study in Beijing as a Yenching Scholar. I was also accepted to the Master’s in Education program at Cambridge University in London. For one summer, I participated in the Tuck Business Bridge Program for exposure to material that I did not study in college.

During this period, I was selected as an Alumni Ambassador by the International Institute of Education. In this role, I speak with students about the value of going abroad. There was an unexpected Trinity connection in this opportunity. In Washington, over a two-day period, I advocated for State Department funding in meetings with Mr. Thomas S. Johnson, former Trinity trustee board chair.

This past summer, I was an intern at Sullivan & Cromwell, a law firm in New York City. I helped the firm to test a database management system that will be used by the entire firm in late 2019. I hope to return to Sullivan & Cromwell as a summer associate, and eventually a full-time associate, in the coming years.

Lastly, I proceeded with plans for law school. I attribute my success to family, Posse, and Trinity leaders who always listened. I often spoke with Posse program representatives and Trinity leaders about how to best to advance my career. President Berger-Sweeney, Vice President Angel Perez, former Trinity Chairman Paul E. Raether ’68, H’14, P’93, ’96, ’01 and former President James F. Jones, Jr. kindly gave me their ear for questions.

This year, I have started at Berkeley Law School as a Dean’s Fellow. I moved to California and will complete my degree in 2022.

Is there anything you learned at Trinity that you’ve used/helped you in your career?

Trinity’s partnership with the Posse New York program changed my life trajectory. The Posse Foundation gave me an incredible support system that made me feel comfortable to challenge myself in college. Professor Irene Papoulis also provided guidance to me as my on-campus Posse mentor. Because of Posse, I was able to successfully secure several roles that helped me to gain legal experience, namely internships at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Bloomberg Government. Posse paired me with Sullivan and Cromwell partner Bill Plapinger to discuss a career path to law.

I also benefitted from courses with the Trinity College Department of Political Science. I was a teaching assistant for several of Professor Stefanie Chambers. Classes, which focused on local government and Hartford. This allowed me to develop classroom opportunities that I could discuss in my law school applications. I also completed the Legislative Internship Program with Professor Diana Evans. Writing a thesis with Professor Anthony Messina developed my writing skills and ability to communicate coherent arguments. From Professor Law’s “Empirical Methods Course,” I developed comfort in analyzing data. Classes that I took with Professor Flibbert, Kamola, and Lefebvre all enabled me to more closely understand global affairs and international institutions.

Finally, my experiences outside of the classroom allowed me to learn how to work with others and resolve complex challenges. Former Dean Frederick Alford appointed me to Trinity College’s Presidential Search Committee. As President of Student Government, I worked with then Dean of Students Christopher Card and Joe DiChristina about how to strengthen student life. I relied at this time on the powerful multicultural network from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Posse. I often met with President Berger-Sweeney to discuss ways that we could strengthen the relationship between the administration and students.

What is your proudest accomplishment since graduating Trinity?

Winning a Fulbright grant and receiving admissions to Berkeley Law School are my two proudest accomplishments. It took a tremendous amount of time and planning to devise a strategy for both engagements.

In Malaysia, I was fortunate to publish a book with my students entitled, “Voices of Malaysia.” The book was a project that allowed them to practice and preserve the English activities that we completed together.

At Berkeley Law, I am excited to jump back into the classroom and to work on clinics in my first year. The clinics provide me with an opportunity to work on initiatives like those that I was apart of at Trinity College.

What is something you would like other alumni to know about you?

I would like other alumni to know that I have not forgotten about Trinity. I have spoken with President Berger-Sweeney and Vice President Angel Perez about ways that I might be helpful to current students while I am completing a J.D. I am also always available to discuss Fulbright with anyone interested in going abroad. As an Alumni Ambassador, I often speak to students at other schools who are thinking about international opportunities.

MN: I moved to Philadelphia to begin law school at the University of Pennsylvania where I am currently a rising 2L. At Penn Law I worked as a Business Law Research Assistant and have been actively involved in several affinity groups on campus. This summer I am interning for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia in the Legal Department of Supervision, Regulation and Credit unit. I am currently going through Penn Law’s on-campus interview process to pursue a career in transactional law or corporate litigation.

DA: That’s awesome. How has Trinity impacted you in terms of anything you learned at Trinity that you’ve used or that has helped you in your career

MN: Absolutely. Being a political science major at a liberal arts school equipped me with soft skills that I have used every day at law school and at my internship. First year law school classes require the ability to think critically, write analytically and conduct independent research. These are skills I developed and honed in my political science classes and through my Legal Studies and Writing, Rhetoric and Media Arts minors. For students considering law school I would highly recommend completing Trinity’s Legislative Internship Program and a senior thesis. I would also recommend courses that familiarize students with reading SCOTUS decisions such as Civil Liberties with Professor McMahon or Law, Argument and Public Policy with Professor Falk. The summer after my junior year at Trinity I interned at the Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services. This was a rewarding experience and it confirmed my desire to pursue a career in law.

DA: I am excited you narrowed down the opportunities you get at a liberal arts school since a lot of students have trouble verbalizing the value of a liberal arts school. Well put. What is your proudest accomplishment since graduating Trinity?

MN: It’s only been a year but I’m proud of the success I’ve had in law school, both academically and socially. In particular I’ve been actively involved with helping co-found a club called the National Association of Law Students with Disabilities here at Penn. The focus of our organization is to build a network of law students and practicing attorneys in the Philadelphia area who are passionate about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. We also connect students with support services offered by the law school and the university.

DA: Indeed, you have been able to accomplish all these within a year sounds exciting and challenging with that big transition. You have really establish great grounds and many connections. What is something you would like other alums to know about you?

MN: I’m always happy to chat with alums who are considering law school! I thought about taking a gap year after graduation to diversify my work background but I’m confident that I made the right decision for myself by attending law school right away.

DA: This will inspire many students to go for what works best for them whether taking a gap year or not. It’s still challenging and a big decision. What are some hobbies/passion projects, successes, or milestones, that you would like Trinity to be aware of?

MN: I enjoy staying connected with Trinity through the Advancement Office where I volunteer as a class agent. I credit my success in law school to my Trinity experience and I value having the opportunity to give back to the community while staying involved in the college’s financial development.

CM: After Trinity, I had no solid plans so I went to Australia with a fraternity brother. I came back in ’71 and was married within the year. I am still married and have 2 daughters! I worked for the Hartford Times once I came back and then for Sachi & Sachi in NYC. After, I worked for North Council in Stamford, CT where I was a partner and eventually became president.

Finally, I founded an organization called Future 5, where we work with lower income high school students. We help them stay on track and create a plan for themselves after high school. The aim is to send these students to college, but we stick with them regardless of whether that goal is achieved. We have been with this organization for 10 years now. We are a force in Stamford. We have 53 seniors who have been accepted into multiple colleges. We help them figure out how to afford college and help with a variety of scholarships. Here is the website to our organization: https://futurefive.org/.

BD: Have you used many of the schools that you obtained at Trinity to help you throughout your career?

CM: I got a lot out of the major. I have had a lifelong interest in political science, government, political events, politics, and everything else involved in that field. My political science major at Trinity created an interest on my part that I have stuck with ever since.

BD: What has been your proudest accomplishment since graduating Trinity?

CM: My proudest accomplishment is my family. My daughters have their heads on straight and have married great guys. I’ve been given a great family. I think if you can go out in life and understand the value in family and raising kids and understanding the importance of that job in your life then that is something to be proud of.

BD: What is something you would like other alums to know about you?

CM: Anyone who is in the Stamford area should come and stop by Future 5. Anyone who is in the area is welcome to come up and see what we stand for. There is always something they might have fun doing from the volunteer perspective.

BD: What are some hobbies/passion projects, successes, or milestones, that you would like Trinity to be aware of?

The day before graduation in June 1957, I was one of approximately 25 ROTC cadet classmates who was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

While awaiting the call to active duty, I began a sales training program with the American Brass Company in Waterbury.

I went on active duty in April 1958 and served 24 years with the Air Force. I completed basic navigator and radar intercept officer training in Texas. My initial operational assignment was to a fighter-interceptor (F-101B) squadron based near the southern shores of Lake Superior. The base was brand new and we were the first assigned flying unit; however, we didn’t have any airplanes yet! That changed quickly and we were soon in the air.

Three years later I was reassigned to Frankfurt, West Germany as a reconnaissance navigator. Following that assignment, I attended additional intelligence training and follow-on state-side assignments. Other overseas assignments included Vietnam and the Philippines. Subsequently, I completed two assignments with the National Security Agency in the Washington DC area and Omaha, Nebraska.

I retired from the Air Force in 1982, and my family and I remained in the Omaha area until 2014. I served as Director of Communications for Pottawattamie County and the City of Council Bluffs, Iowa, supporting law enforcement operations. Later, I joined the Northrop Grumman software development staff and worked 13 years in support of the United States Strategic Command and worldwide Air Force meteorological contracts.

Finally, my wife Nancy and I were called to join the staff of a large Lutheran congregation in Bellevue, Nebraska, where we served for seven years as Parish Ministry Coordinators.

Throughout my professional career, and in retirement, I am involved in volunteer lay Christian ministry and service.

TB: Tell me about your family.

My wife and I met and were married in Frankfurt, Germany shortly before I returned to the States for additional training. Nancy was an American student and working at Chase Manhattan Bank in Frankfurt. We’ve been married 53 years and raised two sons.

Our older son (Bill) graduated from Purdue University and I had the pleasure of commissioning him as a second lieutenant. He retired from the Air Force with over 20 years of service as a pilot. He was hired by United Airlines and is a B757/767 first office flying primarily to Europe from Washington Dulles. Bill and Amanda are the parents of two sons (21 and 19). The older son, Jack, enlisted in the United States Coast Guard specializing in Maritime Enforcement.

His brother Miles is an entering freshman at Western Michigan University’s Aviation Science Program.

Greg, our younger son did things a little differently. After a year of college, he enlisted in the Air Force where he was trained and served in the medical field. He, too, retired from the Air Force with 20 years service. While in the service he continued working on his undergraduate degree and earned a B.S. in Laboratory Sciences from the University of Cincinnati. Today, he is on the staff at Reston Hospital Center. Greg and his wife Jen are parents of two girls (9 and 7).

TB: It is wonderful to know that Trinity had such a positive and big impact throughout your journey.

Yes. The October 1954 Trinity College Bulletin stated that “the aim of liberal education is to promote the intellectual and moral growth of youth that they may become self-reliant, responsible, and enlightened citizens and leaders of democracy, leading to happy and fruitful personal lives.” This was the foundation that I experienced at Trinity — the “development of my personal potentialities, building inner resources and desire for learning throughout my life, and, to be aware of my responsibilities to members of society and my part in making democracy work.”

TB: What would you say is your proudest accomplishment since graduating from Trinity?

There are several significant accomplishments for which I am thankful:

Being a Born Again Christian.

53 years of marriage (and counting!) to the same woman.

Father (me) and two sons amassing 68 years of active duty military service.

Volunteer Christian lay ministry.

Hurricane Katrina (August 2005). First responders providing emotional and spiritual care on the U.S. Gulf Coast – assigned to and partnering with the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services response.

TH: After I graduated, I worked for 6 months in Washington, DC at a lobbying firm. Then I worked on the campaign of the then-Governor of Virginia (this was back in 2013). I’m from Connecticut originally, so I moved back and took a position at a lobbying firm called Capital Strategies Group. From there, I worked on Governor Malloy‘s Re-election campaign in 2014, and after that campaign, I was hired as a Special Assistant to the Governor. That was one of the coolest jobs I’ve ever had. Basically, I was the traveling assistant to the governor, so I was with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I was traveling all over the state and country and did a few international trips. I was then hired as the state director for the Hillary for America campaign, and ran the state operation from June to November 2016. For the last two years, I’ve been working at the Department of Economic and Community Development, which, among other things, works to recruit and retain businesses to the state. Originally I started off at Director of Outreach and, earlier this year, I was promoted to Director of Government Affairs. For the past two years, I have been working full-time and going to school full time at UCONN getting my Executive MBA which I just completed in May 2019.

Looking back, I got to do a lot of really interesting things in politics at a very young age. While I always knew I wanted to get into politics, it was actually a Trinity classmate that helped me get my first political job in Connecticut. This first job helped me get my start and that has helped propel me through the political landscape in Connecticut.

BDS: Is there anything you learned at Trinity that you’ve used or has helped you in your career?

TH: Learning to network was probably the single most important thing I learned at Trinity. There are a lot of Trinity alumni who work in politics. I realized, once I was working in government and politics, that I could see the real effect of what I learned about in class. Trinity does a great job of preparing you, in general, for the world, and especially for entering the workforce. I knew how to present myself and how to have serious conversations with others. I can honestly say that, if I had not gone to Trinity, I would not be where I am today.

BDS: What is your proudest accomplishment since graduating Trinity?

TH: I have always been interested in politics, so being able to work in that field right after college was a big accomplishment. Further, I was able to work my way into a position where I was the right hand man to the governor and that’s an enormous accomplishment for me.

BDS: What are some hobbies, passion projects, successes, or milestones, that you would like to share with Trinity?

TH: For the past two years I have really been consumed by work and school which meant all hobbies and passion projects were put on hold. However, now that I have recently graduated, I look forward to picking up where I left off. I will most likely continue to work on campaigns and potentially start a small campaign consulting firm on the side focused at the local level. I actually enjoy video production and believe that, with the rise of social media, there is a gap at the local level for high-quality, low-budget videos to promote candidates. One of my projects that I worked on during my MBA looked what it would take to start a small consulting firm, and I believe there could be significant value for candidates using social media to promote their candidacy.

TO: Right after graduation I worked in New York for just about two years at a software consulting firm. It was okay; I basically just made a hundred calls a day. I took the first job offer I received because I knew I wanted to go to law school. After two years I took the LSATS and now I’m in my final year at Boston College. After, I’m going back to New York to work for a firm called Sullivan & Cromwell.

BB: What would you say is your biggest accomplishment since you left?

TO: Getting a job at a prestigious law firm.

BB: What do you think is something you learned at Trinity that helped with your career?

TO: I think the biggest thing Trinity provided for me was a new perspective, especially Professor Smith. I remember during one class he said, “Hello fellow lovers of the truth.” I loved that and just teaching me to think logically about things. I went to Trinity thinking I wanted to be an econ major and I still liked it but after taking some classes with Smith, I actually wanted to go to law school.

BB: What is something you want the Trinity community to know about you?

TO: I want them to know I absolutely loved every second of my four years there and in the future I would be more than happy to help out students in any way I can.

BB: I see here you were also a brother at a frat and a lacrosse player.

TO: Being in a fraternity helped me learn how to network early by connecting with alumni that came to visit. It gave me exposure to new experiences. I think lacrosse also had a significant impact. You can take the lessons you learn from playing a team sport anywhere. The NESCAC system also offered a unique experience. I was a leader as a captain my senior year and I learned how what it meant to be in that position on and off the field.

EM: To start, I want to thank you for taking the time to speak with me. It’s a goal of the college to form more connections amongst alumni and between alumni and students.

LK: I’m happy to help.

EM: Perfect, so the first question that I have for you is, what have you done since leaving Trinity?

LK: I went to law school, became a lawyer, and practiced civil litigation for two decades. I’m now a full-time mediator and arbitrator, so I help resolve lawsuits rather than create more.

I have two girls. I live in Orlando. My wife is in clinical research. I keep in touch with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, which is diligent about updating alumni on the student body.

EM: And I see that you also did rowing.

LK: I rowed freshman year. I still row on a master’s team, Orlando Rowing Club.

EM: Why did you choose political science as your major?

LK: I started in poli-sci because I had a high school government teacher who was very influential. It made me start thinking about law and politics. I enjoyed my freshman seminar called Speech and Political Communication with Professor Clyde McKee. He lived right on Crescent Street and used to have us over to his home on Fridays where his wife made dinner. He was just a really great adviser. Those experiences shaped my interests.

I also had a wonderful poli-sci professor named Albert Gastmann. Professor Gastmann taught international law and international relations. He would take us down to the U.N. in New York. He informed us about UNCLOS, the law of the sea, and I actually went aboard a schooner for Sea Semester sophomore summer, learning even more. He lived right at the bottom of the hill in the faculty apartments on Broad Street and was really accessible.

My junior year, I attended our Rome campus founded by my Italian Professor Michael Campo. He took us around eternal Rome everyday from the little convent where we lived. We learned all about the complex politics of Italy and got to speak the language, of course.

My senior year, I worked on the Florida gubernatorial race for Bill Nelson who later became our U.S. Senator. I had worked in D.C. for Nelson as an L.B.J. Congressional Intern. I also took a senior seminar on the Supreme Court with veteran Professor Rex Neaverson, after enjoying his popular Constitutional Law course. All of those things combined directed me toward law school.

EM: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

LK: The highlight of my being a lawyer was receiving the Legal Aid Public Service Award from the Florida Supreme Court. I was recognized for helping an abused and neglected child. I always represented abused and neglected kids as part of my pro bono work for the Orange County Bar Association. I had this really terrible case where an addicted mother abandoned a 20-month-old girl in an alleyway and the father was in prison. I became the child’s guardian ad litem. After many years of litigation and a termination of parental rights, the child was eventually adopted by her foster mom (who recently invited my family to dinner in appreciation of all my efforts). Now in her twenties, she just graduated college and works with marine mammals. I just remember this little infant that I represented and now she’s a full-grown woman who ended up having a nice childhood. That still makes me feel proud. I encourage all people to engage in rewarding pro bono work when they can.

MB: I took a gap year and spent time in San Diego, CA, then went to Quinnipiac Law School, and I’ve been with the Connecticut Attorney General’s office since then. I live in Simsbury with my wife and two kids.

SG: That seems to be the question, doesn’t? Go straight to law school or take a gap year?

MB: If you’re not a hundred percent certain that law school is what you want to do, and you can do it, take a gap year. Working a law firm in CA after Trinity reassured me that going to law school was what I wanted to do. When my daughter was applying to colleges, I encouraged her to think about taking a gap year and figure things out.

SG: What did you learn at Trinity that you think was helpful in your career?

MB: The general education I received was very helpful in that liberal arts sort of way. It shaped the way I do my job, and it taught me to be inquisitive, to think things through and analyze a question or a problem that’s important and relevant to what I do today.

SG: What were you involved in when you were at Trinity?

MB: I played golf, and I spent a year abroad in Scotland, which was awesome. Other than that, I was probably just a typical student.

SG: Why did you decide to do a full year in Scotland?

MB: It was an excellent school and an amazing opportunity. St Andrews in Scotland is the Holy Grail to golfers like me, and I could spend an entire year at the University of St Andrews. This was perfect for me, and it just happened to be a one-year program.

SG: What would you say is your proudest accomplishment since graduating from Trinity?

MB: I’d have to say my family. I have a great family with two great kids—one is going to Villanova in the fall and the other a high school freshman. They’re simply nice kids, well-rounded and smart and much more responsible than I was. I’m very proud of them.

PB: I graduated in 1990 and went straight to law school at Tulane. I originally wanted to study international law, possibly go into Foreign Service, because I’d always been interested in politics. While in high school, I actively participated in the Model UN program run by Harvard for two years and Model Congress for one year. I was also on the debate team and thought these activities would be good experience for a future lawyer or politician.

I decided to major in political science with a concentration in international relations. Professor Walker Connor was my advisor. I took a few very interesting classes focused on the Middle East since Professor Connor taught them. I also took a number of classes with Professor Albert Gastmann. In the fall of my junior year, I studied in Strasbourg, France, with a fantastic program run by Syracuse University. One reason that I chose that program was because I had taken French in high school and during my first two years of college, and I wanted to immerse myself in France to further strengthen my French-speaking skills. The other reason was that Strasbourg is the location of the Council of Europe and the International Court of Human Rights, which interested me because I wanted to specialize in international law after law school. In retrospect, I wish that I had double majored in Political Science and History because I was very interested in both areas, and Trinity’s History Department was notably strong during my time at Trinity.

When I got to law school, I found another passion—maritime law. Tulane had (and likely still has) the best maritime law program in the country. I grew up in a historical seaport sailing and I was on the crew team in college, so it seemed like a natural fit for me. It also had an international nexus as well.

Post-law school in 1993, I moved to San Francisco to work for a maritime attorney, which unfortunately ended after a few months, and I transitioned to Charles Schwab. After six years in San Fran, I decided to move home to the Boston area and I was fortunate to receive two job offers. One offer was from a maritime firm on the Cape, which would have allowed me another opportunity to practice in an area that I had studied in law school and for which I had a lot of passion, and a second offer from Fidelity Investments, which was the more practical choice since I had been working in the financial services industry for almost six years. I went with the latter choice since I had a lot of law school debt and I don’t regret my decision. In September 1999, I started in an entry level position in the Corporate Compliance Department, working on compliance issues in support of Fidelity’s clearing business. In 2001, I started to work on an anti-money laundering (“AML”) project, which became my new passion and the project transitioned into a role that was instrumental in developing the various AML programs at Fidelity. Over time, I kept expanding my responsibilities and being promoted. In 2012, I was appointed Fidelity’s Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer. I am still in that role today and I have been with Fidelity approximately 20 years. It isn’t what I would’ve expected to be doing back at Trinity or Tulane, but I love my interesting and very challenging job; I thought I was going to be a lawyer, but I use my legal degree every day. My favorite job responsibility is advocating the financial services industry’s position on the AML regulatory regime with the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and with the regulators, such as the SEC and FINRA. Politics affects my job because, depending on which party is in power, they generally want more (Democrats) or less (Republicans) regulations, which generally also impacts the AML regulatory regime.

BB: What would you say was your biggest accomplishment ever since leaving Trinity?

PB: I think the role that I am doing now. The financial services industry has been deputized by the U.S. government to, among other things, prevent, detect, and report suspicious activity, including potential money laundering, terrorist financing, and other types of financial crimes. By complying with the applicable AML requirements, we protect our firms, employees, and customers. I lost a close friend in the terrorist attacks on 9/11 so if we, as an industry, are able to detect and report potential terrorist financing that could prevent future attacks, then we are also protecting society as a whole. I am also particularly passionate about protecting individuals from elder financial exploitation, which has been an increasing and concerning trend in recent years.

BB: What would you say is something that you learned at Trinity that helped you build the career you have now?

PB: Because of Trinity’s liberal arts education, I took a lot of different classes, including those focused on religion, art history, French, politics, etc. That diverse education helped me translate my passions into a long and rewarding career, and will help me figure out where I want to go next in my life. Something I wished I had learned at Trinity or at Tulane is that there is more you can do with a legal degree than be a practicing lawyer. I am living proof of that! I am very grateful for the education that I received at Trinity (and at Tulane) and for mentors that I have had along the way. I try to pay it forward by mentoring others, whether they are currently in school or have graduated, since connections are critical part of building your career.

BB: What is a hobby or passion you would like Trinity to know of?

PB: I am very passionate about travel and I do a lot of different types of international and domestic travel, including challenging hiking trips. I like challenging myself not only in my professional career, but also in my personal life too. As part of a liberal arts education, you learn to foster your many interests, which molds you into the person that you are and will become.

SG: In terms of a career, what did you do right after graduation and how did that lead to what you do today?

PD: When I was still at Trinity, I won the Ferguson Prize, a poli sci essay prize, in ’89. And it got me to thinking that I could go on for a master’s degree. I went from Trinity to the Harvard Kennedy School for a Master’s of Public Policy. I graduated in ’92 and relocated to DC. I put my education to use as I worked at the Central Intelligence Agency for the next 6 ½ years. By the late ’90s, the internet was booming in northern Virginia and I wound up working for a company called Network Solutions, which was sort of at the center of the domain name (web address) business. I stayed with NetSol for 12 years, and then transitioned in 2011 to where I am now, Public Interest Registry. I basically went from the customer-focused side of this industry to become VP of Policy for the manager of the .org database. So you can see how my political science foundation was a springboard into grad school, and I now do policy work and a lot of strategizing on the development of industry rules with colleagues that literally span the globe.

SG: You touched on my next question a little bit. What specifically about Trinity, like the way the curriculum is set up or the poli sci degree, do you think was most helpful in starting your career? You mentioned that getting the prize helped push you to go to grad school. Was there anything else, maybe class-related, that you think helped in your career?

PD: The choice of Trinity and Political Science made sense to me since Hartford was the seat of state government. I did a full-time internship program at the legislature in the spring term of my junior year. As luck would have it, I wound up working for a Trinity alumnus (Carl Schiessl ’81) who was serving as a state representative. The convenience of being in Hartford and then the ability to turn classroom theory into reality was very attractive. My interest in poli sci also was driven in no small part by my wife, who’s Colombian. So for me it started with the legislative experience, which helped me get into grad school, and then international opportunities. At Trinity, at least back then with the way curriculum and requirements were set up, I had the flexibility to pursue my interests. Also, relatively small class sizes and getting to know my professors, who would encourage and challenge me, was a big draw.

SG: Definitely. Did you get the opportunity to study abroad or do any traveling while you were at Trinity, or is that something that came later in your life?

PD: In my case, it came later. While I didn’t do semester abroad, I think most would agree that I’m pretty well-traveled having visited over 50 countries so far. It’s certainly made up for anything I might’ve missed as an undergrad!

SG: What were you involved in besides academics at Trinity?

PD: I don’t know if it still exists by the same name—TCAC, the committee who plans Spring Weekend and things like that.

SG: Oh yes, it goes by a different name now.

PD: But that was for social purposes. It’s good to get to meet more people and broaden the group that you hang out with.

SG: Are there hobbies or passions that that you think Trinity should be aware of?

PD: I love to travel. We have three kids and they got bit by the same bug. As a family we’ve traveled quite extensively throughout Europe. Travel is important because it opens you up to new cultures and people and different ways of living, seeing things, and thinking about things. It’s critical. I think Trinity sparked that for me, and is probably even more encouraging of that kind of perspective today.